1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to traffic signal devices, and more particularly to electrical control circuitry for actuating such devices, enabling motorists and pedestrians to more readily observe the time remaining for a change in a traffic signal and to more adequately anticipate such a traffic signal change.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Standard electronically operated traffic signals in widespread use today alternatively display red and green lights for defining the intervals during which traffic may proceed or may not proceed. The drawbacks with the use of such signal devices include their failure to indicate the interval of time that a given light has before changing from red to green and from green to amber to red or from green directly to red. It is therefore impossible for both motorists and pedestrians to determine whether it would be safe, for example, to proceed even with the green light showing.
Traffic signal devices are known which include arrays of lights designed to be sequentially turned off when changing from one traffic signal to the other traffic signal to thereby inform motorists and pedestrians of the time remaining before each traffic signal changes. However, such prior art devices are deficient in that they fail to adequately provide the motorists and pedestrians with display signals that are adequate to appropriately indicate such time conditions.